The journey of the Sunwings
= Chapter 1 = Aloe ' ' It was just a regular day for Aloe. Her parents, who were Sandwings just like her, worked at the Skywing palace. Most days Aloe sat alone. She was the only three year old Sandwing in all the Skywing kingdom, and no Skywing wanted to even look at her. This day, she brought an old ball to play with as she sat on top of a worn hill. Up and down her ball bounced, until a red flash zoomed by and snatched the ball right out of the air. “Hey!” Aloe cried. She heard two thumps behind her and snapped her head around to see two Skywing dragonets approaching her. They gnashed their sharp teeth and had twin scowls. They looked not much older than herself, but were still a frightening sight. “Lost something?” Aloe flashed a look in front of her and saw a third, larger, Skywing dragonet. She wanted to dig her way out of the hill, out of the kingdom, and all the way back home. She shuddered under the Skywings’ cold glares. “You don’t belong here,” stated the larger Skywing. “She must be a spy,” said another. “What do we do to spies? String ‘em up by their tails!” yelled the third. All three Skywings broke into a rasping laughter. Aloe gritted her teeth in anticipation of more insults. “I don’t blame the other Sandwings for sending you and your parents here-if I were them I wouldn’t want you in my kingdom, either,” muttered the largest dragon. Aloe wanted to stab them with her tail and inject every drop of her venom into their thick skulls. Sensing this, the big Skywing said, “And it would be such a shame if someone saw a Sandwing attack an innocent dragonet and their whole family got executed, wouldn't it?” Aloe tried to bite back her agony but it was too late. Stinging tears snaked down her face and splattered onto the ground. All hope seemed to be draining away when suddenly a voice sounded from the sky. “Knock it off, Coal!” Aloe abruptly looked up and saw another Skywing coming for them. “Why should we?” asked Coal, the large dragonet still holding Aloe’s ball. “Didn’t you hear me, Toad Breath? I said leave her alone!” The dragonet that had just come landed next to Aloe and wrapped his wings around her, shielding her from Coal’s gaze. “Or what?” Coal challenged. All three of the Skywings snickered. At this the newcomer leapt at Coal. As she pulled away, out of the range of Coal’s talons, Aloe could see a jagged cut down Coal’s nose that was oozing blood. Coal was astounded that this other dragon would ever do such a bold thing to such a big dragon as himself. He staggered back and tripped over a stump. Seeing this, the other two Skywings leapt for the brave Skywing. The fight lasted only minutes. The offending Skywings glanced at their leader, who was already flying away, took one last look at the other Skywing, and flew away as fast as their wings could carry them. Aloe saw that most of the blood flecking the remaining Skywing’s scales was not his own. He had a few scratches, but that was all. “Manage to get my ball?” Aloe asked jokingly. They both broke into uncontrollable laughter. “I’m Aloe. What’s your name?” Aloe finally asked after they had both regained their composure. “It…it’s Flare,” he said. Aloe saw a quick flash in his eyes. What was it? she wondered. Though she would not know for a long time, the flash was a spark, filling his eyes and heart. Over the years the spark would gradually grow into a flame, and then a strong burning fire inside his soul. This was love. An unconditioned, uncontrollable, immovable, ' ' love. ' ' = Chapter 2 = Flare ' ' It had been three years since Flare had met Aloe, and that was what he was thinking about when he woke up. He was already six, and had been carefully working out how he would tell her his feelings for over a year, starting every day with fresh ideas; but the daily distractions had been too much. He had spent so much time wishing Aloe loved him that he forgot to act on his own feelings. “Today's the day,” he said to himself. “Now, to find Aloe!” He got out of bed and swung down the stairs. “Excited this morning, are we?” called his mom from the table. “I bet it’s that Sandwing girl he always talks about,” snickered his older sister, Flicker. She ALWAYS ruined EVERYTHING! Flare thought as he raced out the door. “Ahh,” he sighed. “Finally some fresh air.” Now, where was Aloe? Flare raced off towards the old hill where he and Aloe met; he hardly saw her as they passed. “Hey,” he called, turning around. She was flying so fast in the other direction that it took a while for him to catch up with her. “You’re such a slowpoke!” she joked. “Thanks, and, uh, hey, where are you, umm, going?” he asked. “The library, of course. And where did all the ‘umm’ come from?” she giggled. “I don’t know,” Flare said, trying not to sound so nervous--but he was--very--nervous. It didn’t help that he acted so weird every time Aloe was around. To everyone else he was the typical tough Skywing, grumpy and loud; but with her, he acted more like a wishy-washy Mudwing of a softie. He hated that. Flare flew silently alongside Aloe for the rest of the short flight to the library. “Why are we going to the library anyway? You hate books,” he complained. “Well, duh, I have to, or else I'll fail the big test.” “You haven’t studied for that at all?” Flare asked. The big test at the end of the year was the kind of test that takes the whole year of studying to pass. Aloe really only had until tomorrow! “Aloe, you're doomed!” “I know...” This is not good, Flare thought. Really not good if he still wanted to go through with his confession. As they neared the library, Flare could see its splendor: not quite as magnificent as the Nightwings’ library, but grand all the same. It had a wide arch for dragons on wing to enter, and large stairs for any dragons on foot. On two pedestals on either side of the opening lay two breathtaking statues. One was reaching out its claw, as if to beckon dragons in. The other, however, had a permanent scowl on its face as if to dare anyone to steal a book. Flare followed Aloe into the library and they sat down. As Aloe looked at the list that she had been carrying, her smile disappeared. “‘A Dragon's Guide To Mystical Armor’? ‘Herbal Remedy Book’? ‘The Guide To Hunting Large Game’? ‘The History of Pyrrhia’? And...15 other books, too?!” She practically crumpled to the floor. “Ouch,” Flare said. “I gotta read fast!” Aloe cried. “Help me find these!” She shoved the list into his claws. Okay, this can’t be too hard, can it? Flare thought. After all the books were found, which took about an hour, they sat down. This was it! Flare would get this chance. “Hey, Aloe… there’s something I wanted to tell y--” He was cut off mid-sentence. “Shush, Flare,” Aloe said. “Wait, there’s some--” Flare tried to start. “No, you wait--look at this!” exclaimed Aloe. Well, whatever she wanted him to see was obviously NOT her homework. “See, look!” She whispered. There was a parchment--an old one. It had writing on it, and big letters on the bottom. It spelled out Sunwings. ' ' = Chapter 3 = Llama ' ' Llama was far from his sandy desert tent. He lived in the Palm Caravan, and they were on their normal route to the south. While everyone was sleeping, he had gone out to explore and had gotten lost. “Hellooo?” he called out aimlessly. He had come upon a cave and was peering into its looming entrance. It was very dark, but Llama could make out a dragonish figure. He stepped closer, and closer still. The figure waited silently. Llama went right up to it and finally saw what it was--a huge monster with five heads! All of its fearsome heads turned towards Llama. He took a quick glance at the creature’s teeth: They were sharp as needles, and drool was dripping off them. Their eyes met. Llama could see that the monster’s eyes were blankly roving around as if the creature was mad. He stared closer at the blank eyes and figured out it couldn't even see! Does it need to see to kill me? Llama thought. Nevertheless, he slowly backed away. After a few steps he slipped in something red and sticky, and let out a blood curdling screech. But it was too late. The monster ate well that night. In the morning, the only thing that was left were his bones stripped of meat, drained of marrow, and Dry. ' ' = Chapter 4 = Aloe Aloe stared in awe of the paper in front of her. A picture, and information about the Sunwings. She had never even heard of the Sunwings before. There was also another paper stuck to the bottom of the first. It had ancient-looking writing on it, saying: ' ' The Prophecy of Sun ' ' Beware the creature that lurks in the deep, Lay it to rest in forever sleep, Slay the one that calls herself Queen, Place in the throne a gemstone of green, Save the Sunwings, Free the land, An easy victory is close at hand, You will have to use a loved one’s heart, If ever you are to see us apart. ' ' At this it ended in a signature that neither Aloe nor Flare could read. Aloe looked around the room, taking a quick glance at Flare. “Come on, then,” Flare said. “Huh? Where?” “Well, that’s obvious,” said Flare. Aloe could think of only one possible answer. “To the Sunwing Kingdom, of course!” Flare stated in a rather confident mood. Aloe had thought of this herself, but how could it be possible? She didn't even know where the Sunwings lived! Much less if they even still lived at all! “Where would we even start?” she asked. “Well, obviously nowhere in Pyrrhia.” “Okay, smarty pants! But where?” There were only a few islands she knew of, and only one was big enough to hold a whole tribe of dragons. Flare seemed to have read her mind. “We’re going to Syrulia!” The desert island that dragonets like herself had only heard stories about. It was not too far out to sea, but one had to Follow the Diamond Spray River, around the Diamond Spray Delta, around the Claws of the Clouds mountains, and through the Rainwing kingdom to get to it--about a week’s worth of flying. She searched Flare’s gaze to see if he was crazy or not. He seemed sure of himself, but there was something else too. Was it worry? “Well, I guess we’ll have to leave tonight,” Flare said. “Tonight?” Aloe exclaimed. Her big test was tomorow! It pained her that she did all that studying for nothing. “I guess so.” It would be better that night because it left hardly any chance for anyone to discover their plans, and Flare wasn’t the best secret-keeper on the world. It would have to be tonight, she thought to herself. Yes, they were doing this. Yeah, they could get in trouble, but did she care? No. No, she didn’t. ' ' Flare Flare looked up in confusion. Go to Syrulia? That was a horrible idea! How could he even have suggested it? The words had just popped out of his mouth before he could stop them! This wasn’t him at all. Now, he had not only suggested something that was completely dangerous, but he had also dragged Aloe into it! “Argh,” he moaned. He was sitting up in bed and had his talons clenched over his eyes. This could not be happening. On the bright side, however, at least he would get to spend more time with Aloe. At this, he turned around in his bed and started to pound his head into the wall. “Urg! How, THUMP, could, THUMP, I, THUMP, be so thoughtless!” THUMP THUMP. “Hey! Quiet! Some dragons actually sleep at night!” called his sister, Flicker. “Oh, sorry, your royal highness, I know you need your beauty sleep!” Flare retorted. Silence. Ahh, Flare loved moments like these. “No witty replies, Flicker?” Ha. See! Around others he could be smart, witty, and even a bit rude! Like a true, tough Skywing should be. The only thing about being with Aloe was that he was a lot braver. And this new thing that had come out of nowhere. Which brought him back to the fact that his life was over and he had made the worst mistake ever made. It was all his Fault. ' ' = Chapter 5 = Flare TAP TAP TAP. Flare woke to the a strange sound coming from the window. He looked out and saw Aloe. All his troubles suddenly rushed back to him--this was it. They were going to get themselves killed because of him. There was no stopping it now; he had to go with Aloe--she would try with or without him, and if he did go, at least he could protect her. “Wake up, sleepy head! It’s time to go!” came a muffled call. He rolled over and carefully slid the window open. “Well! It’s about time--” He quickly clamped Aloe’s mouth shut and held one talon up to his lips. “Shh, you’ll wake everyone,” he said. “Oops!” she replied, and added a little more quietly, “Sorry.” Flare had been preparing a knapsack full of all the things they would need, which he quickly grabbed as they flew out the window. “Hurry!” Aloe said. Flare realised he had fallen behind and had to beat his wings twice as hard to catch up. “Aloooe!” he called, quite out of breath. “What?” Aloe snapped back, a little out of breath, too. “You’re going the wrong way, Aloe,” Flare said, trying to sound as nice as he could. “Wha?!” she replied, coming to a dead stop. Flare didn’t expect this, so he kept going and smashed right into a tree! Of all times! He quickly got up and flew back to Aloe. “You all right?” Aloe said, trying not to giggle. “Yeah, I'm fine. And yes, you’re going the wrong way.” Flare gestured to his knapsack. He landed on the grass and spilled its contents onto the ground. Among all the knick-knacks he brought were a magnifying glass and a map, both of which he set aside as he loaded the rest of the things back into his bag. “Here we are!” he said as he held up the map and pointed to a spot north of the palace. “We need to go south to the Diamond Spray River.” He threw the map and magnifying glass back into his sack, and they set off again, in the right direction this time. It took the rest of the the night to get to the river, but they did it, flying silently most of the time and occasionally saying a word or two. They had made it. Flare looked down at the rushing river. “I kinda wish I were a Seawing right now,” admitted Flare. “Yeah! Then we could just sleep our way down the river!” They both couldn’t help giggling a little. Flare was still laughing when he spotted something. He instantly recognized it from all the scavenger stories he had heard. “Hey, maybe we can float down the river,” he said. “Huh? In case you haven’t heard, Sandwings don’t swim,” Aloe responded. Flare flew down closer, just to make sure he was right, and he was. It was a boat, just big enough to fit two dragonets like themselves comfortably. “We can float on this scavenger thing!” It would work! It was tied to a post that was sticking out of the river bank. It looked abandoned, and just right for them, Flare thought gleefully. He climbed into the boat, just to make sure it was safe. “What are you doing in there, you silly Skywing?!” exclaimed Aloe. “Come on, it’s perfectly safe!” She looked hesitant, but after he started literally jumping up and down in it, she gave in. “Fine, fine, you can stop now.” Flare watched as she climbed in. “Huh,” Aloe called, “it doesn’t sink!” “Well, of course, or why would I have jumped up and down on it, or much less let you come in!” Flare said cheekily. Was he being a smart alec? Maybe being around her long enough made him lighten up. Was this working? He was so caught up in deep thought that he had forgotten about the fact that he was in a boat right that very second with Aloe. “Hey, sleepy head. Wake up!” Aloe yelled right in his ear. “Sorry! Sorry! I wasn’t sleeping! Honest!” he said in a startled tone. “Sounds very convincing,” Aloe replied with a hint of sarcasm. Without haste, Flare cut the rope with one snap of his jaws. And just like that, they were sailing, sailing peacefully and quietly off towards the unknown. “Show off,” Aloe called over her shoulder. That was the last thing he heard before slowly drifting off to sleep. = Chapter 6 = Aloe ' ' “Huh?” Aloe looked around and saw that she was in a dark cave. “Don’t come,” called an eerie voice. Aloe stood very still. All of a sudden a massive creature with five heads and ten glossy eyes leapt out of the shadows. It gave an enormous growl and charged towards her. “Eahhh!” she screamed. ' ' She quickly sat up. She was wheezing and sweating all over, but she wasn’t in the cave anymore: she was in a boat, peacefully floating down the water. It took her a moment to focus, but she could make out Flare’s worried form. She looked closer and saw that he was simply petrified--shivering, with his eyes bulging! She should be the scared one. What had happened to him? “Flare, what happened?” He gave one last shiver and started to speak. “You--you were--were speaking, a-and you were sitting up, and your eyes…” He broke off and terror consumed his gaze once again. “Your eyes were glowing red!” He swallowed deeply. “You were saying that we would all die!” He almost fainted right there and then, but he caught himself and started up the shivering and moaning routine again. Her eyes were glowing red? There must have been more than just that to scare a dragon like Flare. “You think I'm crazy, and maybe I am! But what happened was real. The way you said it and everything. It felt like you were determining our fate right in front of me!” As soon as Flare had finished saying this, he flat out fainted. What had really happened? Oh, well, maybe Flare had had a nightmare as well. Aloe could not get back to sleep that night. Thoughts of her dream kept coming back to her. She knew that somehow it must tie into what Flare saw. Somehow. She looked over the side of the rocking boat; the water was coal-black in the night. She could see tiny flecks of silver: reflections of the stars. Aloe turned her head to look at Flare; he was sleeping, but a scared expression lingered. His eyes were clenched and the corner of his mouth twitched. Aloe lay down and closed her eyes. Her mind swirled with confusion until night turned to day. The sun rose over the horizon, creating a beautiful golden spread across the land. Aloe watched Flare slowly raise his head. Luckily, he seemed to not remember the night before, for now. ' ' Flare ' ' Flare sat up. His head hurt for some reason, and Aloe was staring at him strangely. He tried to remember the night before but couldn’t. Then it hit him. Images of Aloe came flooding back to him. He tried with all his might not to let his fear show. “I...I think I'll go hunt. I'm hungry,” Flare said. Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the rope tied to the boat and slung it over his shoulder. He flew across the short stretch of water and hastily tied the boat to a stump overhanging the river. He hurriedly flew towards the forest beyond, only looking back to say, “I won’t be long!” Flare scanned the trees looking for any signs of an easy meal. A deer, perhaps, or a wild boar. He really just needed to think on his own. Who’d have thought that he would be scared of his own friend? Are Sandwings supposed to prophesy doom all the time? Weren't animus dragons and nightwings the only ones who foretold bloody futures? Questions and thoughts consumed him, and he never even saw the wild boar running straight for him until he heard a low grunting noise and a rustling of dry leaves. He was only hovering a few feet above the ground, so he dropped and landed squarely on the back of the squealing pig. “Breakfast for two?” Flare called, dropping the dead boar into the boat. Without warning, Aloe said, “Let's forget all this!” She turned away. “I don’t know what happened last night, but I'm not a different dragon!” Flare instantly felt horrible. He wrapped his wings around her. “Alright, then,” he whispered. “You're right.” ' ' = Chapter 7 = Aloe ' ' The hill ahead was lined with a green haze. A single drop of red dribbled out of the mass. Soon the jet-black rocks were clearly visible, like thorns poking out of the hill. A wave of blood came rushing down the mound, covering every blade of grass. A huge looming shape rose from the gore, revealing itself to be an enormous cat, seeming to leap from the rocky hill, only to crash to the earth and spatter drops of the blood across Aloe’s snout. ' ' Aloe instinctively brushed her snout with her claw and stared at it. Not blood… just water. The scene faded and Aloe instantly became alert. There was no blood, no cat. Just a giant hill ahead, with the setting sun casting the reddish glow. She was still wrapped in Flare’s wings. Safe. Aloe eventually drifted back to sleep, but was abruptly woken by a bumping sound and the swaying of the boat. “Stop it, Flare! You’ll tip the boat!” she yelled as a huge clod of mud spattered in her face. Aloe rubbed her eyes and looked around. Funny--Flare wasn’t even on the boat anymore. Aloe felt a huge bump as the boat nearly toppled over. She looked over the side of the boat just in time to see Flare’s head breach the surface. He thrashed his wings as he went back under, but Aloe couldn’t see anything below the blood-clouded water. She leapt in, ignoring the strong, fetid smell permeating the air near the surface, ducked her head under, and clamped her jaws around something slimy. The thing let out a horrifying screech as Aloe clawed at the creature’s eyes. The three bodies flailed about in the current. Finally Aloe found a soft spot on the creature’s neck and bit down, hard. The monster squealed again, then dissolved in Aloe’s claws. ' ' Flare Flare was all teeth as he tried to fight off the beast wrapped around him. He could taste blood in the water. He went in for another bite out of the creature’s thick scales but his jaws clamped around nothing. The creature had disappeared. He swam up for air and saw Aloe doing the same. His head burst through the surface of the water and he gulped fresh air. Aloe was next to him, in not much better shape than he was. She must have jumped in to help, thought Flare. He looked around, and to his horror, found that the boat had floated on without them. Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)